Liquid agricultural compositions, and methods of preparation and use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12302909-B2
Application number	US-202318365870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2023
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

Liquid agricultural compositions comprising pasteurized Chlorella cells and sporulating bacteria, as well as methods of preparation and use thereof, are disclosed. The compositions are formulated for application to a plant, seed, seedling, or soil and are effective in enhancing at least one plant characteristic including, but not limited to: seed germination, seedling emergence, seedling size, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, utilization, leaf production, leaf formation, thatch height, plant maturation, plant yield, plant growth, plant quality, plant health, plant resistance to salt stress, plant resistance to heat stress, plant resistance to heavy-metal stress, plant resistance to drought, maturation time, yield, root length, root mass, color, fruit production, fruit yield, fruit growth, and fruit quality.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid agricultural composition for application to a plant, seed, seedling, or soil, the composition comprising:
pasteurized Chlorella cells; and
one or more species of sporulating bacteria,
wherein the composition is effective in enhancing at least one characteristic of a plant compared to a substantially identical untreated plant.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises 5-30% solids by weight of the Chlorella cells.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises 5-15% solids by weight of the Chlorella cells.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises less than 5% solids by weight of the Chlorella cells.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more species of sporulating bacteria comprise a Paenibacillus sp., Bacillus sp., Lactobacillus sp., Brevibacillus sp., or a combination thereof.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is formulated for application to soil.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is formulated for application to seeds and/or foliage.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is effective in enhancing the at least one characteristic of the plant compared to a composition comprising non-pasteurized Chlorella cells and lacking the pasteurized Chlorella cells.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one characteristic comprises one or more of: seed germination, seedling emergence, seedling size, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, utilization, leaf production, leaf formation, thatch height, plant maturation, plant yield, plant growth, plant quality, plant health, plant resistance to salt stress, plant resistance to heat stress, plant resistance to heavy-metal stress, plant resistance to drought, maturation time, yield, root length, root mass, color, fruit production, fruit yield, fruit growth, and fruit quality.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the Chlorella cells are whole cells.

11. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising one or more stabilizers.

12. The composition of claim 11 , wherein the one or more stabilizers comprises potassium sorbate, phosphoric acid, ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, or a combination thereof.

13. The composition of claim 11 , wherein the one or more stabilizers are effective in adjusting the pH of the composition.

14. The composition of claim 11 , wherein the one or more stabilizers are effective in inhibiting growth of yeast and mold in the composition.

15. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the pH of the composition is between 3 and 5.

16. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the Chlorella cells have been pasteurized at a temperature ranging from 50° C. to 90° C.

17. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the Chlorella cells are cultured in non-axenic, mixotrophic conditions.

18. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the pasteurized Chlorella cells have intact cell walls and compromised cell membranes, wherein permeability of the pasteurized Chlorella cells differs from the permeability of non-pasteurized Chlorella cells having both intact cell walls and intact cell membranes.

19. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the Chlorella cells have not been subjected to a drying process.

Assignees

• Heliae Dev Llc

Inventors

• Shinde Sandip
• Ventre Stephen
• Donowitz Nicholas
• Rohlfsen Michael
• Carney Laura

Classifications

• C12N1/12

  Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor (as new plants A01H13/00) · CPC title

• A01N65/00

  Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing material from algae, lichens, bryophyta, multi-cellular fungi or plants, or extracts thereof (containing compounds of determined constitution A01N27/00 - A01N59/00) · CPC title

• A01N63/00

  Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing microorganisms, viruses, microbial fungi, animals or substances produced by, or obtained from, microorganisms, viruses, microbial fungi or animals, e.g. enzymes or fermentates (containing compounds of determined constitution A01N27/00 - A01N59/00; unicellular algae A01N65/03) · CPC title

• A01N65/03 Primary

  Algae · CPC title

• A01N63/25

  Paenibacillus · CPC title